Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Videography & Cinematography....What's the Difference?

The line between videography and cinematography is getting blurred more and more with new technology and cheaper cameras. But what really is the difference between videography and cinematography? A straight forward definition would be videography is capturing moving pictures digitally and cinematography is capturing moving pictures on film. But that's not the case anymore, especially in the 21st century. Feature length movies are being shot on all digital movie cameras, going from the camera straight to the computer, with no need to develop film (or telecine as it's called). So how can you tell the difference between videography and cinematography? There are 3 aspects to cinematography that separates it from videography; Lighting, camera movement and color.

.::Lighting::.

This is probably the biggest aspect to cinematography. Light is so crucial to telling a story and invoking emotion. Without special consideration to lighting, pictures would be flat and boring. Lighting is also one of the most difficult aspects to control. What light you see with your eye, may not be the light the camera sees. You have to be able to "see the light". Being aware of your surroundings and where the light is coming from separates the cinematographer from the videographer.

.::Camera Movement::.

The right movement at the right time can help carry the story to the audience. Also no movement at the right time can speak volumes. The camera doesn't always have to be in motion, but the camera shouldn't always be still. This does not including zooming in or out. This is usually look down upon in cinematography. When you zoom in, it takes away the depth of the 3 dimensional world. It makes things flat. But if the cinematographer walks closer to the subject he is capturing, all of sudden there is depth and emotion. But take note, here are rules to cinematography, but those rules are meant to broken, only if broken correctly. A cinematographer knows when to stick to rules and when break them.

.::Color::.

Probably not one of the most noticeable elements of cinematography, but definitely not the least. Color, along with the right lighting, can really seal the scene and create the right kind of emotion the cinematographer was trying to capture. If you ever look at footage from right out of a 35mm movie camera, everything is dull and not very sharp. The reason? It allows for further enhancement of the footage once it has been captured in the computer. Each shot’s color is enhanced or corrected and usually the contrast is boosted. It’s the same for today’s digital cinematography. Footage is still stunning, but the dullness allows for the further enhancement just like the big 35mm movie cameras. Color used correctly can really make the footage “pop”.

These are just some of the techniques cinematographers use to create their films. And Infinite Design uses these three, and many more, techniques to make your wedding day feel like it was on the big screen. We determine to differentiate ourselves from everybody else by doing something unique. These aren’t your everyday, average wedding videos, but they are wedding films. If you would like to know more about our process you email me at timsarquis@infinite-design.net.